Where To Store Small Generator

mawebb

I have just acquired a Yamaha Inverter Series EF2000iS generator and am trying to determine the best way to store the unit while travelling. Here are the options that I have considered: 1. Carry it in my SUV TV 2. Place it in the T@B when on the move and either store it in the TV when parked, or outside the T@B, secured with a good quality lock. 3. Place it in a separate tongue box or change out the existing tongue storage to something larger. 4. Have something fabricated to attach to the rear of the frame and carry it in a secure box outside the rear of the T@B. 

I am curious is anyone has had any experience with carrying a small 2000 Watt generator. They weight approximately 50 pounds and are about 20" long, 12" wide and 18" tall. Both the Honda and Yamaha units have fill cap vents that can be closed, as well as fuel valves that shut off the flow to the carburetor. They only contain approximately 1 gallon of gas, and I don't plan to carry a gas can. I will fill the unit at the gas station as necessary. If properly maintained, I don't expect any gasoline or oil to leak or spill from the unit, but I would still place it in something just as a precaution.

My preference would be to have it mounted on the tongue, in a box that can be closed and locked securely when the unit is not operating and have the ability to open the box to allow fresh air to the unit for combustion and cooling and allow the exhaust to freely exit, while keeping it protected from the elements and still keep it secure from theft. I don't expect to be using it too much, but I would like to take it travelling so that when we are stopped roadside I can use the A/C in the T@B. The other times I will need to use it is when maintaining the T@B or preparing it for travel, as I must keep the T@B at a remote storage facility and cannot park it at my home due to an inaccessible driveway. It would have been perfect to have an external bay that is not open to the interior of the T@B, but that simply does not exist in our current models.

Any experiences or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Nomad

Will be interested to hear the responses as I'm buying a 2000watt (Honda e2000i) end of the week.

By the way - From everything I've read, you need a 3000watt to run an air conditioner. It requires that wattage to start the compressor. My original intent was to get a 3000 but I just can't see handling that 79lbs all the time. The Honda e2000i has a companion version so if I decide I do in fact need 3000 I can add that later.

mawebb

The Yamaha can be used in tandem as well to double the wattage. If your T@B has the Cool Cat Heat Pump, they indicate that the unit would require a 2.8 KW generator. I have not taken delivery of my T@B S-Floor M@xx yet, but from what I have seen observed, the A/C unit that will be in my T@B is small wall mount unit and I expect that it will be somewhere around 8,000 BTU. As is is not a heat pump and will be using a compressor to create the cool air, the biggest draw will be when it first starts. This heavy draw should only last about 30 seconds or so. Once the compressor is running, the wattage draw should be closer to 1,000. With a generator capable of 2,000 watts for about two minutes, I think it will all work out. If not, the generator will still be used to charge up the battery at the storage facility and provide A/C power for tools etc. when working on the T@B. I too considered at 2,400 or 3,000 watt unit but did not like the additional weight.

It was a difficult decision between the Honda and the Yamaha, but I liked the design of the Yamaha a bit better. Both units have excellent reliability and performance ratings. There are some other less costly units, but I expect they will not be as reliable in the long run, and one of the uses for the generator is to provide power in an emergency situation which is when you simply want it to work without any issues.

If I can find an affordable plug in watt meter, I may add that to my generator kit to help manage loading.

jdargis

Watch your tongue weight, if mounting to a box on the tongue.

Nomad

I think the Yamaha is actually a little quieter. 

katkwik

Thanks, all good info as I am buying Honda tomorrow. Strickly price and my specific needs.

Nomad

katkwik - Which one you buying - there's the EU2000i that has the two 110 outlets and then there's the EU2000i-Companion that has one 30amp plug (like the T@B) and a single 110v outlet.

mawebb

You cannot go wrong with either the Honda or the Yamaha. They are so close it's all comes down to the small details. Where the Yamaha may have a small advantage, is the fuel petcock. On the Honda, the control for fuel flow to the carburetor also "kills" the ignition. On the Yamaha, you can turn off the fuel flow and let the generator run until the carburetor is dry. That being said, there is still residual fuel in the bowl, but that can be easily drained by a small screw and a tube that extends out the bottom of the unit. The pull start on the Yamaha is angled upwards, whereas the Honda is straight out. This makes the angle of  the starter more natural on the Yamaha and helps reduce the tendency to tip the unit over when starting. The Honda is slightly lower in profile so it will fit in more off the shelf totes. Other than that, they are both quiet and reliable and will work for hours on end without any issues whatsoever.

In some ways it's a bit sad that we can't live without all the amenities of home and are so reliant on clean and reliable power to ensure that all of our comforts of home and technologies are available wherever we go. I guess long gone are the days of Euell Gibbons and living of the land, pure and simply. Okay, for those of you that don't get the reference, fire up the generator and and look it up on Google.

Nomad

Too many toys and essential communication tools now that need juice.

I've managed to get by with solar for this first month but have had to fire up the TV to charge my laptop and top off the battery when I've had a string of solid overcast days.

For some reason I can charge the laptop in the TV with an inverter but can't in the T@B - get an error on the inverter. Even though the T@B battery is fully charged.

mawebb

About the only reason I can think of why the inverter would show an error is the float voltage on the T@B battery is too low. If you can check it with a volt meter you might find it is just under 12 volts.

Nomad

mawebb - What's "float" voltage?

Doesn't seem to matter what my little battery monitor indicates (12.2 to14.3), it errors out.

Verna

To do some trouble shooting, try connecting your inverter directly to your battery, if it has the battery clips like mine has. If it still errors out there, but works in the tow vehicle.....we'll figure it from there. Do you have the trouble shooting chart that came with your inverter?

Nomad

Verna - I'll have to find my clip cable, have it set with lighter plug, and give that a try. The inverter is probably 5 years old and I would have lost the manual years ago.

mawebb

Have you used the 12 volt outlet in the T@B for anything else that is electronic? I.E. not a lamp. The reason I ask is I am wondering if the polarity is reversed on the outlet. The positive should be the center connection. By the way float voltage is the voltage on a battery not being charged and not under load. Float should be just over 12 volts, charging should be 13.5 volts and under load, it should not drop much below 12, if at all, until it's becoming discharged.

Michigan_Mike

PXLated said:

mawebb - What's "float" voltage?

Doesn't seem to matter what my little battery monitor indicates (12.2 to14.3), it errors out.

Float voltage is the voltage at which a battery is maintained after being fully charged to maintain that capacity by compensating for self discharge of the battery.   In other words, when you are hooked up to a battery tender or your electric converter on your trailer, both devices "float the battery charge" or maintain the nominal voltage level across the battery plates to keep it within proper (healthy) operating range. 

Nomad

mawebb - "Have you used the 12 volt outlet in the T@B for anything else that is electronic?"

Yes, I can charge my iPads and iPhone directly (USB Lighter Plug) and I can charge my camera batteries via the inverter. Can't charge my computer, that's where I get the error.

ChanW

mawebb,
I expect one can find "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" for Amazon's Kindle.... Ironic

jkjenn

I keep a couple GZ battery packs handy as a plan B. I have a GZ Escape 150 and Sherpa 50. The Escape definitely works better for my laptop and the Sherpa for my phone and other types of batteries. I also have a Light a Life 12v light that I can use with either of those battery packs. The key is to keep them charged and both can be charged while I am driving the TV, with a solar panel, or with a regular wall charger. I typically top them off when I am at a campground plugged in or at home.

Nomad

According to the Goal Zero site, they no longer make those :-( Do plan on finding something similar though.

Have been doing like you, charging while driving but some of my photo editing sessions outlast my drive charge :-(

Picked up a little Honda generator a couple of days ago so can always fire that up even though it's kind of a pain to unload just to charge the laptop. Between my solar panels and the generator I'm good to go but a couple little reserve batter packs would be handy and more convenient.

jkjenn

PXLated, they replaced the Escape models with the Yeti models. I bought a refurbished Escape on Ebay. The have come in hand when solar didn't work out for me. I also have a small GZ 15 watt panel that I can use for those battery packs.

I probably have way more battery power than the average person but I absolutely don't want to be out with dead camera batteries or a dead cell phone/tablet. I replaced my laptop with a Surface Pro 3 tablet so, at least only need that instead of a tablet and laptop.